Kuwait Oil Min. orders refinery blaze probe

KUWAIT, Jan 14 (KUNA) -- Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Oil and Minister of Electricity, Water and Sustainable Energy Dr. Mohammad Al-Faris ordered Friday that a high-level technical probe panel be set up in order to look into the causes of the fire that broke out at an oil refinery earlier today.
The panel, which should be composed of experts and specialists, has to determine whether the fire was due to negligence, and even to explore necessary mechanisms that could ensure staving off similar accidents in the future, the minister said in a press statement.
He emphasized that ensuing recommendations are to be immediately submitted to him and the board chairman of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) for necessary action based on probe findings.
However, the minister boasted that firemen could put out the fire at the refinery's gas liquefaction unit in record time, underlining that the facility has been under maintenance since November.
Al-Faris added that the refinery's operations, export and local supply have not been affected by the blaze since the unit itself was already out of service due to scheduled maintenance. (pick up previous) km.mt